The Seventh Seal
by Kestrel-Marie
Summary: Kagome has been plagued by dreams for as long as she can remember. But now she dreams every night and they are getting more vivid, almost as if they are really happening. What can these dreams mean and why does it seem like her mother is keeping something from her? And who is that boy? The first chp is a prologue. Please read Chp 2 onwards for a proper feel of the story.
1. Chapter 1

Hi all! I know it has been an EXTREMELY long time since I updated. But I'm back and I hope to stick around. For all who are wondering, Drago : A Rare Bond will be undergoing some major overhaul and restructuring before I post further chapters. I am also thinking of expanding the one-shot, My Lord, My Servant. As mentioned, it was something that was meant to be a one-shot, hence the time sequence was a little abrupt. So I'm hoping to go through and fix the glitches in the stories one by one. Bear with me and please do review and I will try to upload more frequently.

So! For my first story in ages, it's still a work in progress, but I hope you guys will be supportive and review!

**Disclaimer: All the Inuyasha characters do not belong to me, they are the exclusive property of their creator. However, I do own the original ideas and characters invented.**

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**Chapter One - Shin Kaihou**

"Chiriko! Chiriko! Let her go!"

In the centre of the room, bound by invisible chains, a slight figure hung. Her radiance, a pure white against the stark darkness of the room highlighted the shadow of bruises and cuts on her swollen face.

But in the depths of her hazel eyes, fire burned. It was the fire that kept her from being truly harmed and from being broken by the cruel torture she had to endure.

She had been enjoying a quiet dinner with her husband when Shadows had swarmed her home. She had tried everything in her power to protect the both of them; revealing her true nature to Matsushiro. But ultimately, she had been worn down by the onslaught and succumbed to exhaustion.

When she finally came to, she found herself in a dark and damp cell, suspended from the ceiling by unseen bonds. They had come to question her and when all they received was silence, they had thought they would extract he information from her with torture.

They had used her as a punching bag, ripped into her soft flesh with whips and knives. But still, they got no answer. Her power buffered her from true death and kept healing her broken bones and wounds. But now, even that was nearly non-existent as her strength was severely depleted. But she would not break.

Now, as a last resort, they had brought Matsushiro in. Seeing the horror in his eyes, she knew the damage was bad. But it would have been a lot worse if they had brought him in a day earlier when they had used knives to carve into patches of her skin. Her power had healed most of the damage, but she was still badly disfigured.

When she heard him scream for her release, she knew in her heart that he still loved her despite now knowing what she was and that gave her peace.

"What do you want from us? Why did you do that to Chiriko?" Matsushiro sobbed, falling to his knees even as his captor held a firm grip on his bound arms.

"Chiriko..." The voice that called her name made her skin crawl and forced her to drag her gaze from Matsushiro to face it once again.

"You will never get what you want from me," she ground out, glaring in defiance.

"Now, Chiriko, don't be hasty... You wouldn't want anything to Matsushiro, would you? He doesn't have your power... Nor is he aware of the true horrors that we are capable of. Would you really want him to suffer the same treatment we have been giving you?"

"You leave him alone! He has nothing to do with this!" Chiriko glanced in horror at Matsushiro, afraid for his welfare.

"You made him a part of this when you refused to speak. Now, tell me what I need to know or he will bear the wrath instead!"

"Chiriko... What is he talking about? What does he want to know?" Matsushiro asked, his worried glance meeting Chiriko's and seeing the emptiness that was never there before.

"Nothing, Matsushiro... He needs to know nothing," Chiriko whispered, closing her eyes. She knew there was nothing more she could do. She only had a little power left and there was only one last thing she could do to ensure that Matsushiro got out alive.

"Chiriko... Please, talk to me... What are you thinking?! Don't tell them anything! I don't care what happens to me!" Matsushiro begged; he had seen the resignation in her beautiful hazel eyes.

He could not bear to look anywhere else, not with the damage they had inflicted on her. He never knew that she had power... They had told him things about her, seeking to poison his mind and his love for her. But they were wrong. Chiriko would never betray anyone and in front of him now was proof of her unwavering loyalty to whatever she was protecting.

"Matsushiro... I'm sorry. I would have been glad to grow old with you but now, it looks like it won't happen..." Chiriko whispered, tears pooling in her eyes for the first time since she had been captured.

"What are you doing?" Matsushiro demanded, hysterical as the glow around Chiriko's body intensified.

"NO! Stop her! She is the one I've been looking for! She is the First Seal!"

With a blast of power, Chiriko immobilised everything in the room and intoned with a melodious voice that belied her current condition.

"I am Chiriko, fifth level Honoko, seventh daughter of the seventh daughter. In me, resides the power of my six sisters, all who gave their life so that I could be born to be the Seventh. As Seventh, I am the First Seal of Akuma no Kagami. I offer my life and those of my sisters to relinquish the responsibility of First Seal to another Seventh in return for our safety. SHIN KAIHOU!"

A blinding white flash engulfed the room and when it cleared, a sobbing Matsushiro clutched Chiriko's unresponsive body on the snowy grounds in front of their home; an enraged "no" echoed into the night, brought along by Chiriko's teleportation.

As Matsushiro wept, a small bundle landed beside him. For a moment, all was silent. Then the bundle hiccupped and loud wails erupted, startling Matsushiro out of his grief.

Gently, he laid Chirko's lifeless body onto the snowy ground before turning to the small bundle beside him. Removing the swaddling, he revealed a baby.

Matsushiro stared in surprise, wondering where the baby had come from, when he saw Chiriko's outline, leaning over the baby in his arms.

"Chiriko... Where..."

"She is ours. Growing inside me all this time... I was going to tell you tonight," Chiriko whispered, tears rolling down her face as she clutched her abdomen as Matsushiro's eyes widened in horror.

"But how?"

"She is the seventh of the seventh. She has her own power. Take care of her, Anata... She is a special child. Naraku must never know she exists or that she is the seventh daughter. Bring her to my Sisters in Edo, they will look for you and explain everything. They know what has happened tonight..." Chiriko said, her voice distant as she looked up at the sky, the bright stars twinkling vibrantly, as if unaware of the horrors that had occurred.

"Chiriko..." Matsushiro whispered, his voice trembling as fresh tears coursed down his face as he looked up at the fading visage of his love.

"I love you, Matsushiro... And I would love to have grown old with you. I will wait for you in the afterlife... Tell our daughter that I love her and I would have wanted to be there to see her grow up," Chiriko said as she pressed a kiss to his lips.

Feeling the phantom brush of lips as Chiriko vanished, Matsushiro began sobbing anew, clutching his newborn daughter to his chest as Chiriko's last words hung in the air.

"Name her, Kikyo..."


	2. Chapter 2

Hi all, I have changed the rating of the story due to the descriptive nature of this chapter. And I realised that FFN removed my separators. This was fast because I had half the chapter already done when I posted the first chapter. Please be patient with me for the following chapters. It's coming from scratch.

******Disclaimer: All the Inuyasha characters do not belong to me, they are the exclusive property of their creator. However, I do own the original ideas and characters invented.**

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**Chapter 2 - Tamashi No Hanryo**

Ever since I can remember, I have had the same type of dream time and again. Sometimes the scenery changes, sometimes the smells change and even the people change, but always... I will always see him...

_Burrowing beneath the sheets, she drank in the scent that was soaked into them; a scent that was deeply engraved in her soul. It smelt like the deep musk of earth and the cool and refreshing wind and rain but there was also the crisp fragrance of dew-kissed flowers and trees. It was HIS smell. _

_Then, she was aware of the sensual glide of satin exposing her skin to gentle kisses that scorched their way down her back. Occasionally, there was a scraping of teeth that caused her to gasp in pleasure and arch her back. She could hear him chuckle, amused that he had such power to affect her._

_Pouting, she tossed a mock glare from behind the curtain of her hair to inform him of her displeasure at his teasing, expecting as usual to see the blurred outline of his features. _

_Instead, her gaze was gripped by the sharp glittering gold of his predatory gaze. But fear was far from her mind as her heart pounded and her insides trembled with excitement._

_Lifting her body slightly, she felt his claws bite slightly into the tender flesh of her hips before he released her and allowed her to turn over. Staring in wonder, she soaked in his features that were for the first time revealed to her sight._

_Oh, she knew that he had long feathery eyelashes and a sharp and prominent nose. She knew that he had canines that nipped his bottom lip when closed and ears that sat on top of his head rather than at the side. She knew that he liked to have his ears massaged and that they were triangular and furry. But what she knew with her touch could never visually match the magnificence that was now before her._

_Her dream lover was hot. Sitting there, with the crimson satin covers swathed around his well toned waist and his long silvery locks pooling around him, he looked every image like a Grecian god descended from Mount Olympus to visit the mortals._

_Leaning forward, she trailed her fingers down his face, re-learning with sight what she knew with her fingers. As her fingers crested the tip of his nose, he grabbed her hand to press a kiss to her fingertips before nipping them lightly._

_She gave a sharp gasp and her eyes darkened with pleasure as he engulfed her fingers into the moist warm cavern of his mouth. Alternating between nips and licks, he made his way up her arm and when he reached the tender flesh at the hollow of her throat, he sucked._

Her eyes widened as she arched her back with a sharp gasp as pleasure coursed through her body. Gazing blindly around her, she found herself back in the familiar surroundings of her girly bedroom. Absent, was her dream lover clad in his red satin sheets although his scent lingered, earthy and elemental.

Blushing, she checked under the sheets and to her profound relief, found that she was still fully clothed. Willing herself not to think of her dream, she flopped back onto her pillow.

The dreams were getting more and more vivid although this was the first time she had ever dreamed of being in bed with him. But the greatest gift of all was that she had finally been able to see his face. Still blushing, she slipped into a light doze.

oooooooo

"That's it! It's too early in the morning for this and I've had enough. No more prospective brides! I don't want to get married! I NEVER DID!"

With a furtive glance, all the people in the room gave each other knowing looks. As they watched their young master storm out of the room, leaving a startled young female gaping in his wake.

The Eastern Lord would not be pleased that his youngest and most favourite daughter was openly rejected in front of so many servants. Shaking their heads slightly, all the servants present converged around the princess to pacify her. She was the "prettiest" of his daughters and therefore, his most favourite. For the boar youkai, the prettier meant the uglier.

oooooooo

"Kagome! Kagome-chan!" Eri shouted, waving her hands in front of Kagome's vacant gaze as she cast a worried look over her shoulder at her other two friends.

"Kagome… You look like you have not slept in years…" Yuka murmured as she tapped the listless girl on her shoulder, bringing her attention back to the present.

"Oh… Yuka… Eri… Ayumi… I feel like I haven't slept in years," Kagome muttered with a big yawn, not bothering to cover her mouth.

"Are those dreams still bothering you?" Ayumi asked as she plopped down on the bench beside Kagome as Yuka and Eri headed over to queue for lunch.

"D…Dr… Dreams?" Kagome stuttered nervously as she sat up abruptly. She felt her face start to heat up as she thought about the rather erotic dream she had earlier in the morning and also the fact that she saw his face for the first time.

"Kagome-chan… Are you…? You are! You're blushing!" Ayumi accused, her hands turned Kagome's face to look at her. "Spill," she demanded.

Glancing around furtively, Kagome edged closer to Ayumi. "You know how I keep having this one dream over and over again?" Seeing Ayumi nod vigorously, Kagome continued, stuttering, "Well, this morning, it was… More… Um… More…"

"Jeez! More what?!" Ayumi questioned, the suspense was killing her.

"In-depth."

"In-depth? In-depth, how…? OH!" Ayumi gaped is disbelief as she took in Kagome's arched brow and the look of desperation in her hazel eyes. Kagome only got that look when they talked about one topic. Sex. Not that she was naïve or a prude, but Kagome often felt uncomfortable discussing sex as she was from a family who gave birth to generations of priests and priestesses.

"Oooo… Our little girl is all grown up and having wet dreams of her own!" Ayumi gushed, slinging her arm around Kagome's neck and pulling the now beet-red face close.

"Sh…Shut up, Ayumi!" Kagome groaned, burying her embarrassed face in her hands as her friend burst out laughing.

"Hey Kagome!"

"Oh… Hey, Hojo…" Kagome greeted weakly, as she glared at her still laughing friend.

"I was wondering if you're feeling any better after trying the ginseng jam?" Hojo asked, concern shining in his eyes.

Shuddering at the memory of the disgusting ginseng jam, Kagome smiled wanly and nodded slightly, wary that he might question her further.

"That's good! Maybe I should make more!"

"NO! I mean… There's no need," Kagome burst out, horrified that she would be given another herbal remedy that her mother would force-feed her with. In her mother's opinion, if someone made the effort to give her something, she also had to make the effort to "appreciate". But Hojo's remedies were getting more and more out of this world and it seemed that only Ji-chan could appreciate their unique tastes. In fact, he said he has never felt more vigorous in his entire life. Which led to implications that Kagome would rather not think about.

oooooooo

_A warm tingle started at his waist and ever so gently moved up, he could feel her lips and tongue caressing the edge of each pectoral muscle. Smirking, he continued to feign sleep; this was the first time she had ever initiated contact on her own._

_She had always been shy but he knew a fire lurked beneath that innocent façade by the ardent way she responded to his touch. He inhaled deeply; her familiar scent of musk, mandarin oranges and peonies was heavily laced with arousal. Like a drug, her scent clouded his thoughts and urged his more feral side to surface._

_Gently, her warm tongue laved a nipple, which pulled a rumbling growl of appreciation from him. Hearing her giggle in response, he slowly opened his eyes and watched her feather his chest with kisses until she was straddling his waist._

_He gathered that she was in a playful mood as her gaze met his blatantly and held it. Leaning forward, she placed her moist lips against the edge of his sensitive fur tipped ear and whispered, "My turn," before she flicked out her tongue and licked his ear._

_The lick tore a moan from his lips. Entranced by her boldness, he could only lie still as she continued to press kisses along his collarbone. When she reached the tender flesh that joined the shoulder and neck, she interspersed nips with licks and warm puffs of air, which made his claws curl with desire into the satin bedspread beneath him._

_And all of a sudden, she bit down. The pleasure and pain morphed into one as she marked him._

Jumping out of bed with a gasp, he looked around wildly, expecting to find her in bed with him. But the sheets were empty. Stalking to the mirror, he bared his shoulder to the moonlight and sure enough, there it was. Her brand. Whether she knew what she did or not, she had marked him. Smirking once again, he crawled back into bed and was instantly bathed in her scent.

The need to mate and mark her was strong. But he had been fighting the pull for the last seventeen years. Oh yes, he knew she was human… Which was why he was constantly at war with himself, fighting against marking her. No one knew... She was HIS secret, the reason why he never sought to take a mate after 600years. She was his sole reason for living. His tamashi no hanryo, his soulmate.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi all, thank you for your patience. I managed to churn out another chapter ASAP. Please continue to read and review. Also, feel free to post questions if you have any and I will answer them to the best of my ability. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Happy reading!

**Disclaimer: All the Inuyasha characters do not belong to me, they are the exclusive property of their creator. However, I do own the original ideas and characters invented.**

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**Chapter 3 - Shinjitsu**

"Whoa! What a dream!" Kagome sat up in bed, her heart racing as she fanned her face. The blush intensified as she recalled how in this dream, she was the one to take initiative. She had no idea what came over her but she had been extremely playful and it was sort of revenge for him teasing her the dream before.

Strangely, her teeth ached and she could almost make out a coppery taste in her mouth... Oh my! She bit him! She remembered feeling intensely satisfied when she sank her teeth into his shoulder. She felt... Complete. But now, she was empty again.

"I'm not turning into a cannibal, am I?" Kagome wondered aloud, thinking nothing more of her dream as she drifted to sleep again.

oooooooo

"Nee-chan!" You're gonna be late for school!" yelled a small boy as he jumped up and down on the huddled bundle on the bed.

"Souta! Stop disturbing your sister and come down for breakfast! It's the start of her break!"

"Oh!" Souta gasped as he stopped jumping immediately. His body tense as he dared to glance over his shoulder, praying fervently that his sister was still asleep. "Heh heh..." He chuckled nervously as he made out a pair of red eyes glaring at him evilly from under the covers.

"AH! Mama! Save me!" Souta cried as he leaped off the bed and tried to make a break for the door and heard the blankets flap. "Kago-mon is after me!"

A loud thud was heard followed by a pain filled yelp.

"Kagome, since you're awake, why don't you come down for breakfast?" Mama yelled, shaking her head at the antics of her two children.

"Coming..." Was the muffled reply.

oooooooo

Souta looked quite miserable as he ate his breakfast, wincing occasionally as his mother probed the tender spot.

"Kagome, you didn't have to throw an alarm clock at Souta's head."

"Well, it's his fault. He knows I hate to wake up early when I'm on break," Kagome said nonchalantly as she snagged a slice of tamago off her brother's plate.

"Both of you apologise to each other now," Mama demanded as she released Souta's head from her ministrations and replaced the tamago slice she saw her daughter take.

Two reluctant "gomenasai" were uttered as the two youths glared at each other.

Silence reigned for a few minutes as Mama cooked up Kagome's breakfast when a loud honk was heard outside.

"Souta, Kiyoshi's parents are outside. Remember to behave yourself at camp," Mama said as she watched her son scramble to pick up his bags.

"Ittekimasu!" Souta yelled as he exited the house with the force of a hurricane.

"Mama..." Kagome began.

"Hmn?"

"I have been having dreams lately..." Kagome said as she ate her breakfast, failing to notice how her mother stiffened at the mention of dreams.

"What about these dreams, dear?" Mama asked nonchalantly as she pulled out a chair to sit.

"Well... I've been having them for sometime..."

"How long?" Mama interrupted, insistent.

"Huh? Forever, I guess. But lately, I've been having them everyday. And it's always about this boy."

"Maybe it's telling you it's time to start dating. After all, you are nineteen and in university. I met your father when I was your age," Mama teased, her smile strained as her eyes clouded with pain at the memory of her husband, the love of her life.

Tapping her fingers nervously, she waited for Kagome to finish her breakfast and as usual wander off to her room to continue sleeping as she was wont to do during her uni breaks.

Rushing to her father's room, she quickly slid the bamboo door shut as he watched her in astonishment, her behaviour out of character. She turned to face him and uttered the sentence that would change their lives, "Ji-chan... She's coming of age."

oooooooo

After pacing his room for what seemed like the umpteenth time, Ji-chan plonked himself down in front of his pale-faced daughter and said, "We must notify the Rose Council."

Immediately she stiffened and her eyes grew wide with panic.

"Chiharu, it is in Kagome's best interest that we notify them. They will know how to manage this. And besides, it is time for her to learn about her true heritage. We cannot protect her forever, not when she is born the Seventh of the Seventh. We are bound by Masato's promise to the Council," Ji-chan reasoned, clasping his daughter's white knuckled fists and opening them gently. Softly, he soothed the red crescent imprints her nails had created as they dug into her flesh.

"But they let him die!" she whispered, her voice thick with the tears that were threatening to spill over.

"CHIHARU!" Ji-chan roared angrily, startling her. "Masato died protecting Kagome. Do not lessen what he did out of love. We will notify the Council when you are calmer," he whispered as he engulfed his daughter as she wept for her lost love, her soulmate.

oooooooo

"I feel... A stirring in the threads," the hoarse whisper came from a huddled figure sitting in front of the loom, its slender white index finger skimming over and plucking at certain threads.

"Oh? I wonder... Could it be what I have been waiting for?" A tall lithe youth cocked his head to one side, his handsome face scrunched up in thought. His long raven locks flowed past his waist and his alabaster skin shone like the moon in the dark room that he stood in.

A whimper brought him back to the present and he crouched down to the bleeding and bound naked body at his feet.

"Oh hush, worthless worm, before I kill you," he muttered absently, tapping the handle of his whip on his bottom lip, still deep in thought.

"Gather the Seven Seals and sacrifice their blood and souls at the Prism altar to release the Akuma no Kagami. Six seals have been formed, await the Seventh seal. Do not rush or your attempt will result in the failures of the past," the monotonous drone spilled from the huddled figure, completely at odds with the husky melodious tone of before.

immediately, his handsome visage morphed into pure evil as he yelled in a murderous rage, "DO NOT TELL ME WHAT TO DO, ORACLE!"

Grasping the blood soaked locks, he pulled up viciously, wringing a strangled shriek of pain from the body beneath him. She spat blood into his face as he brushed her hair aside to reveal her crimson glare, he grinned in pure pleasure at her resistance. Turning her to face the huddled figure at the loom, he gripped her face forcefully.

"What say you? Should she live or die? What do the fates show you?" He jeered cruelly.

"Please, don't..." The huddled figure pleaded, her voice thick with tears and hoarse from screaming. "I'll tell you everything."

"Kanna! Don't beg him," the crimson eyed girl forced out through gritted teeth as she struggled to stand to take the weight off her hair.

"Still so full of life, even after all you've been through. I must not be working hard enough," he mused as he heaved her battered body higher against him. "Tell me, Kanna. Does Kaguya live or die?"

Crimson meets unseeing luminescent white and a look passed between them. Understanding, resignation and grief. With an almost imperceptible nod from Kaguya, Kanna whispers, "She dies."

Without wasting a breath, he snaps Kagura's neck like a toothpick and drops her lifeless body to the floor. The life in her glittering crimson orbs fade to a dull murky brown.

Wiping his face clean of the blood, he beckoned to the shadows lurking in the corner. "Take that back to the cells. Alert me when she revives," he said, gesturing to Kaguya's body.

"Now Oracle, find the Seventh Seal!"

"Yes Naraku," her tearing eyes glowed with unearthly light as she perused the threads Of life.

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**AN: I know... So surprising that it's Naraku. Not.**

**Although the name is the same as Kanna's "released" form in the series, the Akuma no Kagami here is completely different. Let ****me clarify, if it is not already obvious, Kanna is a separate entity and will not be turning into the Akuma no Kagami. **

**That's all! Hope you guys enjoyed this and please spend a few moments to comment on the progress of the story so far.**


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